TOP CLASS ACTION IN NOEL O' CALLAGHAN MEMORIAL CUP SEMI-FINAL CLASHES

Beal Na Marbh hosted a thrilling Noel O’Callaghan Memorial Cup weekend in aid of Marymount Hospice, with Timmy McDonagh and Tim Young winning their semi-finals to reach the decider.

McDonagh produced a dominant final performance to defeat Young and become the inaugural cup winner.

Elsewhere, Shane Lotty claimed the city Junior B title, while several tightly contested supporting scores and underage successes rounded off a competitive weekend of road bowling.

​​​​​​

Beal Na Marbh held a fund-raising weekend for Marymount Hospice in memory of their dear friend Noel "45" O’Callaghan, The feature events were the two semi-finals for the Noel O’Callaghan memorial cup, first up Timmy McDonagh played Michael Murphy for a stake of €4,000 a-side. Murphy could not have got the worst possible start, his first shot too far left caught a pole. From here he was fighting the score, after four shots he was almost a bowl down. Murphy kept it under the bowl after three more past the rock. McDonagh miscued his seventh onto a driveway but got a good run on the cut grass. Murphy got a great eight shot to Hubbard’s. McDonagh was again very lucky with his eight seriously tight right but he got away with it and got a huge bowl out sight for the lawn. Murphy beat this tip by only twenty meters. McDonagh went out sight at the forest entrance in two more big bowls and Murphy made the upper side of the entrance keeping it under the two bowls. McDonagh raised the bowl after two more back of the novice line. Murphy had it under the bowl again facing down the hill for the line. McDonagh missed the line but had big odds. Murphy put down an incredible last shot but McDonagh up the right track pulled it left and beat the tip.

​

In the second semi-final Tim Young played John O’Rourke for a stake of €5,500 a-side. Like Murphy in the other semi-final, O’Rourke got a very bad start when his first shot was too tight left and his second was across right and he found himself almost a bowl down. Young started very well in this score raising a bowl of odds with his third shot, after three more to the rock Young still held a bowl advantage. O’Rourke got some good bowls from here and Young’s form dipped a little. Young got a huge rub off the lawn with his ninth shot and O’Rourke missed this tip to go a bowl down again. Young could have secured this score with his next as O’Rourke missed sight at the forest entrance but instead he missed the tip. After three more to the Novice line Young had almost a bowl of odds again. Young beat the line in three more to set up a final against Timmy McDonagh.

​

Supporting scores saw Kevin Manning beat Tom Cronin by two bowls of odds for €4,000 a-side and in a mixed doubles score the South West pair of P.J O’Driscoll and Hannah Sexton beat the North Cork pairing of Stephen Spillane and Denise Murphy by the last shot for €2,000 a-side.

​

On to the final on Sunday where Tim Young and Timmy McDonagh played for a stake of €5,200 a-side, McDonagh opened with the longest first shot played on the road when he made past the lollipops, after three more to the top of the hill McDonagh held a forty meter advantage. A couple of wayward shots from Young and he found himself big odds down at the start of the straight that McDonagh held past the lawn and on to the hedging. At the forest entrance in ten and eleven McDonagh throwing his odds got the sweetest rub of the right ditch that took him full sight at the next bend facing the novice line. This raised the bowl for McDonagh and big odds. When you luck is in, it’s in as McDonagh got another huge rub off the timber paling that took him into the lag facing the line and almost two bowls up, enough to become the first winner of the Noel O’Callaghan Memorial Cup. Supporting scores on Sunday saw Shane Crowley beat Micheal John O’Brien by the last shot for €4,100 a-side, Stephen Murphy beat Jimmy O’Brien by the last shot for €5,000 a-side and Tom Cronin beat Ronan O’Donovan by one bowl for €1,500 a-side. It was a good week for the McDonagh’s as Timmy’s nephew Timmy (Jnr) won the Under 8 Final at the Phale Road from Bobby Cooney.

​

LOTTY TAKES FIRST CITY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL OF THE SEASON

The city region held the final of their Junior B championship at Templemichael between Shane Lotty and Connie Stokes playing for a stake of €3,000 a-side. Stokes took the first shot but Lotty was in front after two more big bowls out sight at the first bend throwing his odds over twenty meters, Lotty had an opportunity to raise a bowl with his fourth but missed sight at the next bend, Stokes went sight and Lotty beat this by fifty meters, Stokes next was very right and only beat tip by fifteen meters to go almost a bowl down. Stokes got a huge seventh shot on rough road that reduced Lotty’s odds to fifteen meters. Shane Lotty out the next bend in two more the rising of a bowl of odds again but Stokes wasn’t giving up until Lotty played another huge bowl to raise a bowl of odds that he held to the finish.

​

Two mid-week Pool C Junior A scores were held at The Clubhouse and Caheragh, at The Clubhouse Johnny O’Driscoll was lucky to hold on to his victory over Deckie O’Donovan and at Caheragh Gavin Twohig had a convincing win over Liam Hurley. At the Clubhouse O’Driscoll v O’Donovan playing for a stake of €1,100 as. O’Driscoll was just short of the chip cross in three magnificient bowls where he had a bowl of odds, he held this odds in three more to Clon cross, but from here O’Donovan made substantial inroads into O’Driscoll’s lead. O’Driscoll played a few of his bowls to far left and at O’Riordan’s O’Donovan had it under the bowl, at the end of the garage railings O’Driscoll was sight for the School with a thirty five meter advantage and O’Donovan had only poor sight. O’Donovan got a good bowl to the school and O’Driscoll beat it by the same odds. O’Donovan got a poor next and O’Driscoll went sight for the line, O’Donovan could not put a bowl in front of O’Driscoll and he hung on to win by the last shot.

​

Meanwhile at Caheragh Gavin Twohig beat Liam Hurley by two bowls of odds, no stake in this one. Hurley had one lead in this score and that was his second shot, Twohig went to Lisangle Cross with his third that Hurley only beat by twenty meters in two, and was facing an early bowl of odds. On for the bridge and Twohig was still gaining odds, he raised the two with a big bowl from Reenrua Cross. And after two more shots Hurley conceded. Twohig now faces David Shannon in a quarter final score at Derrinasaffa.

​

WALSH JUST PIPPED AT THE POST

Templemartin held a novice veteran semi-final where Joe madden beat David Walsh by the last shot for €900 a-side. Both went out Slynes corner in five shots where Madden had forty meters of odds. After two more half way up the straight Walsh took his first lead by two meters. After two more big bowls each to Riordan’s Madden was back in front again by five meters. Walsh got a super tenth to Collins and a bad blunder from Madden in left well hind bowl. After three more to the School Cross and a blunder from Walsh when he was too tight left found himself hind bowl again by five meters for the last shots. Walsh made a good effort for the line but just fell short and Madden played his bowl well and beat the line.